Chapter 173 Cherish the Present
Under a nearby tree.
William stood in a black trench coat, holding a bouquet of small daisies. He remembered Sophia once saying that her grandmother didn't like showy flowers like roses, but only loved the wild daisies growing freely by the roadside.
Free, easygoing, unburdened by worldly matters.
Yesterday, when he saw her shopping for memorial items, he personally went to a roadside flower shop to buy a bouquet of small daisies.
The wind carried over the conversation between her and Mira.
The small daisies in William's hand were still fresh after a night, wrapped in simple transparent paper that looked especially pure between his long, clean fingers, forming a sharp contrast with his black trench coat.
"Grandma, I've forgiven James and Michael."
"Before, I was really upset. They knew I didn't like Alice, but they still went with their dad to see her. Michael saying he liked Alice became my nightmare for two years."
Back then, Sophia had questioned herself, too. She had raised the children with her own hands - they should have been closest to her, yet they said they liked Alice more. Was it because she hadn't done well enough?
She fell into a cycle of self-doubt. After calling William to request a divorce, she was hospitalized due to declining health.
On the day of the divorce, she had just gotten out of the hospital.
As a pregnant woman who needed nutrition, she had become even thinner than before.
It took her a long time after that to make peace with herself.
As a wife, she had fulfilled her responsibilities.
As a mother, she had never given up caring for James and Michael.
If the final result still didn't meet her expectations, it didn't prove that everything she did was wrong.
It just meant there wasn't that kind of connection.
She wasn't wrong!
Time healed the wounds in Sophia's heart. She threw herself into experimental research work, which took her mind off her past worries.
And Emily's birth.
For her, it was like a rebirth of identity.
Sophia gently wiped away the dew from the tombstone, thinking to herself: 'Grandma, I tried my best, but I still can't let go of James and Michael, so I'll accept whatever comes in the future, good or bad.'
She laid out a waterproof cloth beside the tombstone and sat there quietly, resting her forehead against it, as if leaning on Mira's shoulder.
In the two years after the divorce, although she had forgotten everything that happened with William, the wounds from the past were still there.
So when they met again, her emotions still fluctuated because of him.
Letting William enter her life again and again - the children were one undeniable reason, but more importantly... some wounds need to be reopened and cleaned thoroughly before they can truly heal.
As William approached her time and time again, the infected flesh of the wound was gradually cut away, and finally, yesterday, it completely healed.
Because she discovered that when William used her hairpin to save another woman, deep in her heart, she seemed to feel only concern for life itself.
A faint smile flowed in Sophia's eyes, and she was even in the mood to tell Mira about her expectations for a future partner.
"I think that person doesn't need to be too perfect, but must put me first in everything. You know I can be quite temperamental."
"So this person must love me wholeheartedly, cherish me, and indulge me to win my heart. Grandma, don't you think so?"
A breeze blew past, brushing her cheek, as gentle as when Mira used to stroke her face when she was little.
"I knew it, Grandma, you care about me the most."
She joked, "I wonder which man will be lucky enough in the future to win my affection."
The wind lifted the hair on both sides of her face, a bit cool, but Sophia's heart was warm.
Now, she had passed the age of needing love to nourish herself.
If it comes, she would welcome it gladly.
If not, she would still hold hope.
Now, with her children by her side and a thriving career, the past pain was gradually fading away.
Compared to elusive love, she treasured what she had right now more.
The leaves still had morning dew on them. As the wind passed, water drops fell on William's shoulder, but his mind was entirely captured by her.
Sophia's soft narration carried a heartbreaking magic that also stirred up waves in his eyes.
"Grandma, I'll cherish the present, live well, and won't disappoint you."
William understood what Sophia meant.
She was making peace with her past self, preparing to accept a new future.
William gripped the small daisies blooming in the wind, his gaze piercing through the trees, falling directly on Sophia's slender figure.
He didn't even have the courage to go ask her what she meant by those words.
William felt like his heart was shattering into countless pieces, hurting so much that his limbs went numb and breathing became difficult.
He never knew that words spoken so calmly could be so devastating to a person.
He felt like... he was drowning in pain.
Perhaps because she would be leaving Rain Village for a long time, Sophia said many, many things in front of the tombstone.
A long time passed.
Sophia finally stood up to say goodbye, her eyes even gentler.
"Grandma, I'm going to Empire City. I probably won't be able to visit you for a while, but when I have time, I'll bring the children back to see you."
After she left.
William walked out from another direction, placed the small daisies in his hand in front of the tombstone, and bowed deeply.
"Grandma, I'm William, Sophia's... ex-husband."
"I'm sorry it took me so long to visit you."
After speaking, there was a long silence.
William didn't know how to tell this elderly woman resting here about the harm he had unintentionally caused her granddaughter.
Just now, she told her grandmother that she had completely removed him from her heart and was ready to welcome new people, new love.
"From now on, I will definitely protect her and the children."
The past couldn't be avoided, but he would cherish what he had now.
William's low voice dissipated in the air. He didn't stay there long.
"Grandma, I'll come see you again."
Until the black trench coat gradually disappeared from the tombstone, he never noticed that beside the plate of fruit, there was a delicate bracelet.
More than ten minutes later.
A slender hand picked up the bracelet and put it back on a wrist, sparkling in the sunlight.
Sophia looked at the blooming daisies in front of the tombstone, her eyes flickering with confusion: 'Who would come here to pay respects to Mira?'
In Rain Village, almost everyone who knew Mira's identity had passed away.
Among the current villagers in Rain Village, except for the elderly village chief, no one else knew who was buried here or Mira's connection to Rain Village.
Even when Mira brought her back to Rain Village, the people in the village were already outsiders who had come seeking a peaceful life.
Mira didn't want to complicate things, so she never said anything.
Sophia did suspect it might have been William, whom she saw yesterday, but then dismissed the thought.
When they were still husband and wife, she asked him to accompany her to Rain Village to pay respects to Mira, and he refused.
Now that they had no relationship, how could such a busy CEO spend so much time coming here to pay respects?
So no, it definitely wouldn't be William.
When Sophia returned home, she didn't pack much. After handling matters in Empire City, she would still bring the children back here.
After all, Rain Village's environment was very suitable for Emily's health.
Joe left a servant here to clean and a bodyguard. The house's maintenance wouldn't be much trouble going forward.
After instructing the cleaning servant to regularly clean the tombstone, Sophia prepared to drive alone to the airport in Forton County.
Passing under the tree at the village entrance, she rolled down the car window and glanced at the marks on the ground. They weren't deep - William must have left last night.
Sophia thought the person who left the daisies was probably the village chief.
After her car drove out of the village, William, on the other side, started his car and silently followed behind her.
After they left, Molly emerged from behind the earthen wall.